Didier Drogba pulled Carlo Ancelotti out of the sticky stuff to extend the longest opening day winning streak in Premier League history – and revealed the debt he owed to Cristiano Ronaldo.
While Drogba was the first to admit his injury-time match-winner that left Ancelotti gasping for a fag and Phil Brown spewing was a fluke, the African ace had already scored one of the goals of the season.
Drogba’s stunning first half free-kick to draw Ancelotti’s Blues level after a solar plexus blow from Stamford Bridge hate-figure Stephen Hunt was a replica of the Ronaldo stunner against Portsmouth two seasons ago.
And the Chelsea hit-man conceded he had been more than happy to steal from the Portuguese star’s bag of tricks.
Drogba said: ‘I guess it was a bit like the one Ronaldo scored and it was deliberate. I tried to do it like that and lined it up to hit the valve.
‘Everybody is aware of this technique now after Ronaldo and it’s true that when you hit the valve the ball comes down more.
‘But it is just technique – and I think his free-kick was bit better than